Improbable Friends
by Pirate Shinju
Summary: A cheerful and spunky pinkhaired chuunin and an icecold Hyuuga. Opposite's attract, I guess. And what is Sasuke's part in all of this? [Neji X Sakura]
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own Naruto and there's nothing you can do about it! ...uh... why are you looking at me like that? sweat drops under heavy glare Okay okay! I don't own Naruto! Happy now?

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**Chapter 1 - How it began**

Neji scowled as the annoyingly cheerful people passed by him in hordes. It was the annual Konoha fall festival and Tsunade had required that every shinobi in the village was to attend for appearance, due to the fact that many shinobi and Kages from other villages were coming for the event. Personally, he thought frivolities like this were a waste of time. Why would he want to mindlessly wander around drinking, eating, and... **socializing**. The thought made his eye twitch. He could be training, dammit.

There were also those giggling girls in the distance who kept shooting him admiring glances. His annoy-o-meter was skyrocketing.

In fact, the reason he was here was not because of Tsunade. Hinata was here, and he had been ordered to watch over her during the festival. Sure enough, the lavender-haired girl could be seen in the distance talking to her new boyfriend, Uzumaki Naruto. If Hiashi-sama were to ever know about heir relationship, there would be hell to pay. He never approved of Naruto.

Hinata didn't stutter as much as she used to and seemed a little less shy. She had grown over the years and no longer wore that oversized coat. Naruto was just Naruto. Minus the orange jumpsuit, which he grown out of, he was the same overactive blonde he's always been. He now wore a jounin vest.

Despite the persuasion he had received from the moronic duo known as Lee and Gai, he refused to join in the festives. Instead, he sat in a relaxed position under a tree with one leg bent and the other out in front of him with an arm resting on his bent leg, glaring at everything that breathes. Yep, usual Neji. He hadn't changed much in the past 5 years. Everything from his hair to his attitude was the same, except the fact that he had grown. Even now, at 19, he was still as hateful as when he was 13. He was an ANBU captain now, and often leads a team consisting of Lee, Naruto, and Shino on A and S-class missions. Tenten and Shikamaru weren't up for joining the ANBU and Sakura, Ino, Choji, Kiba, and Hinata were still chuunin.

"Um… Excuse me, Neji-san." he looked up upon hearing his name, slightly annoyed at having been jarred from his thoughts so suddenly. It was a teenage girl a couple of years younger than him who had spoken and she was now looking him with a slight blush on her cheeks, friends in tow. She had bouncy auburn hair and brown eyes. How she knew his name, he didn't care to know.

"Hn." replied, glaring at her with his pearl-white eyes.

"Would you like to dance with me?" she asked, indicating to the many dancing couples a short way away. More and more people seemed to take interest and were moving out onto the round dancing space between the many festival booths.

_So that's where that annoying music was coming from…_he thought.

"No." he said without hesitation. "Go away." He had no interest in dancing and he never would. She wasn't that unfortunate looking, but he took no interest in women. He wasn't gay or anything, but love would get in the way of his training. The girl walked off looking extremely put-out as her friends sent angry looks his way, which soon dissolved into admiring stares.

_Women…_ he thought with disgust.

Half an hour and about 3 dance rejections later, a certain pink head in the distance caught his attention.

Haruno Sakura.

Ever since that incident 5 years ago during the chuunin exams, she kept her hair somewhat short. Short hair always did suit her. Being 18 now, she had grown out of that red dress and now wore a sleeveless blue shirt with a v-neck and black pants that stopped a few inches above her ankles. Her forehead protector was perched in its usual spot atop her head and she wore simple black wristbands.

Currently, she was talking cheerfully to that blonde friend of hers, 'Yamanaka Ino' if her remembered correctly.

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Sakura smiled and said goodbye to her current dance partner before making her way over to Ino, who was currently buying some cool jewelry from one of the booths.

"Hey, forehead-girl!" Check out this necklace!" the blonde said cheerfully, holding up the newly bought choker.

"Don't you already have one like that, Ino-pig?" Despite the fact that they were both good friends now, they still called each other by the charming pet names from when they were 12.

Suddenly, a drunken Shikamaru appeared and threw a startled Ino over his shoulder and, laughing like a madman, ran with her out to the dance floor.

"I wanna dance!" he shouted gleefully, quite unlike his usual lazy drawl. _That…was the strangest thing I have ever seen. _The pink-haired chuunin thought, staring in shock at the now dancing couple. _So that's the power of alcohol… _

As she stood there laughing at the sight of Ino and Shikamaru dancing, she suddenly had the feeling that she was being watched. It gave her the chills.

Looking around, her emerald eyes locked with a pair of white ones. She knew it was Hyuuga Neji, for there was no mistaking that long, coffee-colored hair and cold, impassive face. Despite the fact that she still held a torch for Sasuke, she couldn't deny that the Hyuuga was hot. Especially his hair. She always itched to touch it, but restrained herself for fear of losing her hand. She had been on a couple of missions with him and his team, being that she was, despite her shinobi rank, the top medic in the village under Tsunade and Neji was one of the top ANBU. It was only natural that they would end up doing missions together.

Smiling brightly, Sakura lifted her hand in greeting and waved at him cheerfully. Neji seemed to hesitate, before giving a slight nod in reply. He looked away soon after. Suddenly, her stomach growled viciously and she placed a hand over it in surprise.

_Ugh. I'm hungry._ she thought, smelling all of the delicious foods coming from the many booths. _Foooood…_

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Neji sighed and closed his eyes as he leaned back against the tree, resting his arm atop his propped up knee. He wished he could be anywhere but here. The noise was really starting to get to him.

"Hey, Neji-san." a feminine voice said.

"No, I will not dance with you." He replied in monotone, not opening his eyes and not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice. He sensed the girl sit next to him and the smell of strawberries and some sort of food greeted his nostrils.

"Who said I was asking?" she replied with amusement. He suddenly realized who it was.

"What do you want, Haruno?"

Sakura took a moment to answer, having taken a bite of her food.

_So… good…_ she thought.

_Damn strait!_ Inner Sakura added. Realizing that she still hadn't answered he question yet, she quickly replied. After all, it wasn't often that Hyuuga Neji spoke to her. Hell, it was often that he spoke to_ anyone._

"You were just sitting here by yourself so I decided to come and keep you company. Is that alright?" she said, taking another bite of her food.

"Hn." was his 'intelligent' reply.

Taking that as a yes, Sakura remained next to him by the tree while eating in silence, occasionally glancing at the aloof man beside her, who merely kept glaring strait ahead. The silence was starting to bother her.

"Beautiful weather, huh?"

"Hn."

_Well, that went well._ Sakura sighed at her pathetic attempt at starting a conversation. Neji will never change.

"My lovely cherry blossom!" a sickeningly happy voice suddenly resounded as a figure clad in green spandex ran towards Neji and Sakura.

"Lee…" they muttered in unison. Said ninja halted before them and started talking in a voice loud enough to make the surrounding pigeons scatter and fly away.

"Sakura, my love! May I have the honor of this dance?"

Her reply was to grimace.

"Alright, but no slow songs." she said, much to Lee's delight. "Hey, Neji-kun, can I leave my food here with you?" When the Hyuuga said nothing to respond, Sakura shrugged and placed the plate on the ground next to him before walking away with Lee, carefully making sure that there was at least three feet between them.

A pigeon was now inching closer and closer to Sakura's plate. The glare Neji shot at it was enough to make the poor bird jump right out of its feathers. In other words, it flew away in a frenzied panic. Eheh.

_Is this what has become of me?_ Neji thought with a sigh. _Have I been reduced to scaring away fat birds?_

Neji scowled and turned to where the dancing was taking place and suddenly felt sick at the sight of Lee. He had seen many terrifying things in his life, but nothing of this magnitude. It was enough to bring a look of horror and astonishment to his usually impassive face and that, my friend, is an accomplishment.

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Sakura giggled as Lee danced before her. He seemed to be more focused on his movements than anything else. It wasn't that he was a _bad_ dancer or anything. On the contrary, he was quite good. He was just a little… outdated. His moves were an odd mixture between disco and Michael Jackson, probably taught to him by Gai. In fact, his dancing was such a sight, that people had actually stopped moving to the music to watch in fascination. Unfortunately, Lee suddenly did the moonwalk followed by the worm, causing Sakura to double over in fits of laughter. Luckily, Lee didn't notice.

Figuring that the disco king clad in green would not notice her departure, Sakura

pusher her way past the amazed on-lookers and made her way over to the still scowling Neji, who looked to be trying to refuse a pretty blonde girl who wanted to dance with him. The girl was obviously not used to being rejected, for she wasn't giving up that easily. Sakura was suddenly hit with an idea.

"C'mon, Neji-kun, its just one dance!" the girl was saying. As Sakura approached them, she saw Neji's eyebrow twitch in annoyance.

"No." he replied coldly.

"Please? I'll make it worth your while later." she said suggestively.

"No."

"Hey, Neji-kun."

To both of their surprise, a certain pink-haired chuunin took a seat right on Neji's lap. He was only barely able to hide his astonishment when she leaned in and touched her nose to his, giving the illusion that they were kissing. Sakura turned to the now dumbfounded girl and smiled.

"Sorry." the pink-haired kunoichi said. "He's with me." Standing up, she took a hold of Neji's hand and pulled him to his feet. The Hyuuga was too shocked to do anything but comply. Hands still linked, she pulled him across the grass towards the festives. Many girls, who were previously trying to get the Hyuuga to dance with them, were staring at Sakura with resentment and jealousy written on their faces. Quite suddenly, Neji snapped out of whatever state of shock he was in.

"Where are you taking me, Haruno?" he snapped.

"How about, 'Thank you, lovely Haruno Sakura, for getting rid of all the unwanted attention.'" she replied, not releasing his hand. "And to answer your question, I'm taking you over there to dance." Neji abruptly stopped walking.

"No." he said.

"Why not? All you've been doing this whole time is sulk over there by that tree so I'm going to make sure you have a good time. Besides, you owe me." said Sakura, looking at him with a look that clearly said 'or _else_.'

Neji mumbled something under his breath.

"Eh? I didn't catch that."

"I said… I can't dance." he said slightly louder. Sakura forced herself not to laugh at his discomfort.

"Don't worry, it's not that hard." she said, smiling reassuringly.

Neji once again wondered what he was doing here as he was pulled out onto the dancing area. Mercifully, a slow song came on.

Once she had dragged him out onto the dance floor, she took both of his hands and placed them on her hips before wrapping her own arms around his shoulders. Lee and Tenten, who were dancing with each other nearby, were staring at Neji and Sakura as if the two of them had sprouted an extra head.

"Neji? She got NEJI to dance?" Tenten asked incredulously. "Wonders never cease…"

"Sakura…" Lee said, eyes filling with tears. "That beautiful youthful fire that burns within you… it has touched even Hyuuga!" Tenten rolled her eyes angrily.

All in all, it didn't really go too bad. Well… he DID trod on her feet a couple of times, but whatever. He did okay.

"I thought you said you couldn't dance?" Sakura teased. Neji looked away and didn't reply, choosing not to tell her about the dance lessons Gai-sensei had given them. That was one memory he wished he could forget.

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"No, no, no, Neji, you are getting it all wrong!" Gai criticized, stopping the music. "Feel the youthful blaze within you! Feel it and embrace it, my young learner! I train you not only for the battles for your life, but also for battles of love! You will never win the hearts of gorgeous babes if you can't even tango!"

Neji merely ignored him while Lee's eyes were filling with tears of admiration for the spandex clad man before them. Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Oh really?" she said with sarcasm clinging to her words. "And how many…'gorgeous babes'… have you won the hearts of, Gai-sensei?" Said jounin hesitated before replying.

"Plenty!" he said. "Now, anyways, the youthful Lee and I shall show you how its done!" He turned on some Spanish music and Neji and Tenten looked on in disgust as Lee and Gai began to salsa with each other.

_Why must I be subjected to this… humiliation? _Neji wondered to himself.

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Neji glanced at the pink-haired girl before him. Sakura had definitely changed from the weak and talent less girl he had seen during the chuunin exams. This probably had something to do with the disappearance of the Uchiha, whom she obviously loved. She even became the apprentice of the Hokage herself, and was now an excellent medic, top in the village even. That, and she had grown into a beautiful woman who caught the attention of men wherever she went. She intrigued him. Her face was always laughing, but her eyes were never happy. They always held a sad gleam for the boy who would never return her feelings. He could never figure out what it was she saw in the Uchiha.

Neji blinked upon noticing something: Sakura was bluntly staring at him.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." he said with irritation. Sakura flushed bright red and looked away.

"Sorry…" she mumbled with embarrassment. "You remind me of someone, that's all…"

"Who?" he asked, sending her out away from him in a twirl. When he brought her back, she seemed to be hesitating to answer, but he waited patiently.

"You remind me of…. of Sasuke." she finally said.

"The Uchiha?" Neji replied, distaste evident in his voice.

"Yes." she said sadly. "Sasuke always had that same look on his face, he never seemed fully happy…like you, Neji. He was always cold and indifferent to everybody, and never showed emotion aside from the occasional anger. I'd always hoped that it would be me who brought out his first true smile…"

_My first actual conversation with Neji and its about Sasuke. How depressing…_ she thought with a sigh.

"But he left you and the village… and you still love him?"

"A part of me is always hoping that he will come back. I can't forget about him." Sakura replied.

"Hn."

"Hn?" she asked with a frown. "What does 'Hn.' mean, anyways?" Neji said nothing. She was beginning to get annoyed with the fact that he was pointedly ignoring her. That bastard.

"So…" she tried to think of a way to get him talking again. "How's it been going with training and stuff?" Even as the words left her mouth, she knew how utterly stupid they sounded.

"You talk too much." Neji responded.

"Hmph. Fine." Sakura said, turning to glare in a different direction. Her decision to ignore him for the rest of the song was forgotten in the span of five seconds as she turned back to the Hyuuga.

"Hey, you should smile more, Neji-kun." she said. He looked at her questioningly. "You would look more handsome if you did."

"Again with the talking." Neji replied, scowling and looking away as he felt the heat rise to his face. His eyes locked with those of his cousin, Hinata's, who was looking at him in astonishment with a spoon of ice cream halfway to her mouth. It probably had something to do with the fact that he, Hyuuga Neji, was actually dancing with someone. Sakura was looking at him in amazement as well, but for a different reason.

_Was he… Is he…? _the pink-haired girl thought.

"Are you… blushing?" she asked incredulously.

"N-No." he replied. Blushing? He couldn't be… could he?

"Yes you are!" she started to giggle. "I got the ice bitch of Konoha to blush! Oh, yeah! I'm good!"

"I," he stopped their dance and looked at her intensely. "do NOT blush." Sakura's reply was to smile sweetly as many ideas to fluster him popped into her mind. Boy, did he have it coming. She began to giggle in a maniacal sort of way, causing many of the surrounding couples to inch away in fear. Even Neji felt a bit uneasy.

"Yeah, okay." Sakura said. The moment was ruined when the song suddenly changed to a fast one. And, as we all know, there was no way in hell that Hyuuga Neji was going to dance anything like Lee.

He pulled away, but before he could turn to leave, Sakura grabbed his arm and planted a big kiss on his cheek. He felt the heat rise to his face again and couldn't help but notice a brief flicker of triumph pass over Sakura's face.

"Thanks for dancing with me, Neji-san." she said, bowing slightly.

He acknowledged her with a slight nod of his head and the usual 'Hn.' before she left. Standing stupidly in the crowd with one hand over the cheek she kissed, Neji stared at that pink head of hers as she left.

_She's so… weird…_he thought. As soon as that thought had entered his mind, the very spawn of weird made its appearance in the form of a heavily browed 19 year old clad in green spandex. Do I even have to tell you of whom I'm talking about? Thought so.

"Hyuuga-san!" Lee exclaimed, halting before the Neji dramatically, causing many of the surrounding people to stare.

"What do you want, Lee?" Neji asked, closing his eyes in irritation.

"You were dancing with my youthfully lovely flower, Sakura!" Lee replied, pointing a finger at Neji. "Your heart has also been blessed with the spring of youth! We are now eternal rivals in love, my youthful friend!" Lee continued on like this for a time that is unknown to Neji, for he had left about half-way through the speech.

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Author's note: Ugh. Chapter 1. Not too happy with it, but whatever. It turned out okay. Tell me what you think of it. For those of you who were reading 'Kakashi, you perverted BASTARD!' and were wondering about the hold up, lets just say the world has done every possible thing from writers block to computer crashing in order to keep me from posting it. I was actually done with it, but alas, my computer chose that time to die. NOOOOOO! Now I have to re-write it, meaning its going to take even longer.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Naruto? Why would I want to own him? He's a stupid annoying blonde kid who constantly make a fool of himself. Now, Neji on the other hand… I own him! glomps protectively You can't have him!

Neji: eye twitches Get your hands off me.

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**Chapter 2 - **

_I can't believe this…_

Neji had returned from an extremely difficult solo A-class mission just an hour before. What was supposed to have been a simple information retrieval from sound had quickly turned ugly when he crossed paths with a couple Akatsuki members. He had entered Konoha with every intention of crawling into the dark sheets of his bed and not emerging for at least a day, but that hope was dismissed when Hiashi put him on guard duty a mere 15 minutes after his arrival and check-in. The injustice of it made him want to rip that bastard's head off, but he wasn't one to complain. Only the weak complain and he, Hyuuga Neji, was not weak.

So here he was, injured and exhausted, sitting in a tree while watching his timid cousin practice her kunai-throwing on a small target nailed to a tree in the distance. She was improving greatly, but he still didn't think that the ninja life suited her. She was much too fragile, quite unlike a certain strong-willing kunoichi by the name of Haruno Sakura.

Actually, he had thought she was a weak one at first when he saw her during the chuunin exams, and she was. But everything changed when that Uchiha bastard abandoned the village, and her. After that day, she trained under the Hokage and worked so hard to become stronger. She succeeded, in a sense. Her fighting skills were still pretty average, but her proficiency in healing was outstanding. Her determination intrigued him, almost as much as she herself did.

Neji's thoughts were interrupted when he spotted two dark figures approaching his cousin.

_Fuck!_ he thought, moving to leap out of the tree. _Why did I not notice them before? _Due to his injured state, he landed roughly on the ground.

By the time Hinata had noticed the enemy chakra, it was too late. She turned to face the new adversary only to have a thrown Kunai lodge into the soft flesh above her collarbone. Crying out in pain, she stumbled backwards until she hit a tree.

"No, you moron!" one of the two enemy ninja shrieked, shoving the other. "We need her alive! Knock her out."

They both began to approach the terrified girl as she pulled out some of her Kunai in an attempt to defend herself. Before they could do anything to her, however, a blur of movement was all they saw as they were both slammed into the ground by an unseen force. Stumbling back into standing positions, they were now faced with a young man, who was standing in front of their target defensively. They noticed his pure white eyes and realized that he was a Hyuuga also.

They were weak, minor jounin at most, but due to the excessive injuries Neji received from the previous mission, his movements were slowed majorly. In other words, he had a difficult time. One of the bastards had even managed to lodge a senbon needle into his left forearm. By the time both of them were dead, he was quite exhausted.

"Neji--" Hinata began quietly.

"Don't move." he ordered, approaching the timid girl. "This will hurt."

Clenching the handle firmly, he wrenched the kunai from her shoulder, causing her to briefly cry out in shock and pain. He pulled out some bandages and pressed the whole roll to the wound.

"Hold it there firmly." said Neji. Hinata complied and smiled at him.

"Thank you for saving me, Neji-niisan." the lavender-haired girl said. He looked away.

"I didn't do it for you, Hinata-_sama."_ Neji replied coldly. Her smile faltered. "Its my job."

His words stung but Hinata said nothing in reply. She merely looked at him sadly, wishing for the old Neji, the one who befriended her and played with her when no one else would. Being a Hyuuga, and so shy, she never had many friends when she was a small child, but he was always there for her, like a real brother... Until the day of her third birthday. Now, he hated her and anything to do with the Hyuuga clan. He was far more pleasant towards her since the chuunin exams, but was still quite cold.

"I must take you back to the Hyuuga estate." he said, turning towards the village and wrenching the senbon needle from his forearm. "There may be more after you."

"Hai..." Hinata turned to follow him, giving one piteous look to the two dead ninja on the ground soaked in blood. She turned back towards her cousin and gazed at the many injuries he had in shock. She hadn't realised that he had received that many during the fight. Those enemy ninja must've been good if they could do this to the genius of the Hyuugas. Her eyes widened even more when she noticed a small trail of blood he was leaving behind.

"Neji-niisan…" she began again.

"What now?" Neji snapped.

"You… You're hurt."

"…Do not concern yourself with my welfare, Hinata-sama." he replied, voice not losing its coldness.

"But it was my fault you got hurt in the first place…"she said, worry evident in her voice.

"Some injuries are from a previous mission."

"But still…" she trailed off, not sure of what else to say. Neji glanced back at her and she saw something in his eyes a little softer than his usual glower before he turned his back to her and continued on towards the village.

"You are too soft to be a ninja."

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"She WHAT?" Ino, Naruto, and Kiba exclaimed, staring at Sakura in shock. Shino, having been pelted with Naruto's bowl of Ramen during the excitement, stood there covered from head to toe with noodles while Shikamaru remained seated at the table, mumbling things about 'noisy' and 'troublesome.' I don't think I have to tell you what Choji is doing, but just in case, his was indulging himself in a bag of potato chips.

"I said…" Sakura replied, slightly irritated about having to repeat herself. "…Hinata was attacked this morning while training by herself. Tsunade told me."

"B… But--" Kiba began but was flattened by Naruto.

"BUT WHAT HAPPENED? DID SHE TAKE THEM DOWN?" the overactive blonde exclaimed. He, of course, was the most concerned. He and Hinata had gotten quite close, and he fit into the 'overprotective boyfriend' category perfectly.

"I'm not sure about the details." Sakura replied. "All she told me was that a few missing nin who were after the secrets of the Byakugan tried to kidnap her, but failed. She wouldn't tell me anything else."

"Is she hurt?" Ino exclaimed.

"I. Don't. _Know_." Sakura said in exasperation.

"We should go and see her." Shino said in his usual calm voice. "I am worried for her welfare."

"Yeah! Let's go!" Kiba added, having recovered from Naruto's outburst of energy.

"Wait!" Sakura cried. "Are you sure we can just waltz right up to the Hyuuga mansion?"

"I don't care what they say.!" Naruto yelled, waving a fist in the air. "I want to see Hinata-chan!"

"Then let's go!" said Ino.

"Troublesome…"

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"Wow! That place is _huge_!" Naruto exclaimed.

As the party of seven approached the Hyuuga mansion's gate, they were stopped by a pair of guards. They had white eyes, the trait of the Hyuuga family, and cloth covering their forehead, possibly hiding the cursed seal of the branch members.

"State your name." one of them said in monotone. He had black hair that reached his shoulders. Sakura was the one to speak.

"Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Akimichi Choji." she replied.

"Purpose of visit?" he asked, writing their names down on a clipboard.

"We're here to see Hinata!" Naruto yelled cheerfully, launching a fist into the air. Sakura gave him a glare of death.

"My apologies, but Hinata-sama is indisposed. She was attacked earlier this morning." was the guard's reply.

"B-But--" Naruto began but a quick blow to the head by Sakura silenced him.

"We're here to see her for that reason." the pink-haired kunoichi urged, ignoring the resentful glare Naruto was giving her. "We wanted to see if she was okay. We're her friends, she'll be happy to see us." It sounded logical enough, but still wasn't enough for the guards.

"No can do." the other Hyuuga replied.

Ino was now up to bat.

"Please, sir…" the blonde put on her sexy voice and stepped forward to the one with black hair. "It would mean so much to me."

"Uh-oh. She's at it again." Choji whispered in Shikamaru's ear.

"Troublesome…" he replied lazily.

"Sorry." The guard said, slightly unnerved. "Orders are orders…"

"Oh, darn." Ino replied with a pout. "I was hoping we could get to know each other better." She placed two fingers at his temples and ran them down his cheek and neck. She stopped at his collarbone and inwardly smirked when she saw that he was visibly sweating. Tugging on the bottom of her shirt to expose more cleavage, she leaned in and began to whisper in his ear.

Sakura watched in amusement as the guard's face couldn't decide if it should pale or blush. Ino pulled away from him with a smile.

"So… Can we go in?" she asked sweetly.

"U-Uh… um…" Due to an overload of kinkiness, he was having a difficult time forming sentences. "I g-guess it would b-be okay if you had an… an escort. Taisho here w-will t-take you." he indicated to the guard on his right who was looking at him with a look that clearly said 'you pussy.'

"Thank you!" Ino said in reply. Giving one last wink to the extremely flustered guard, she, along with everyone else, followed the other Hyuuga into the mansion.

In the distance, they heard a loud 'thump', indicating that the former guard had fainted.

"Geez, Ino!" Naruto exclaimed. "What did you tell him!"

"Trade secret." the blonde replied with a toss of her hair. "If I tell you, I'd have to kill you. Thoguh, I do admit, he _was _pretty cute." Shikamaru visibly winced at this.

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Hinata sat in her bed reading an extremely boring book her father had given her. Because of this morning's events, she was not allowed to leave her room due to the fact that more shinobi could go after her. In fact, many ANBU squads were sweeping the town for more of them at this very moment.

To her surprise, she heard a knock at her door, followed by a lot of scuffling sounds. _What in the world…?_

"Come in!" she called. Her eyes widened as the door flew open and in tumbled Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji. Shino merely stood in the background shaking his head at the large number of people sprawled out on the carpeted floor.

"You… You guys!" Hinata exclaimed, staring in shock as her so-called friends tried to get up while cursing profusely. Upon hearing her voice, Naruto launched to his feet, effectively flattening Shikamaru, who was beneath him.

"Hinata-chan!" he cried, running over and glomping the flustered girl.

"N-N-Naruto-k-kun!" Hinata sputtered.

"Dammit, Naruto! Now look what you did! You're making her stutter again!" yelled Ino as Sakura punched him in the back of the head.

"Itai!" Naruto rubbed a growing lump and shot a look at Sakura. "Sakura-chan, what was that for?"

"For being an overzealous jackass, you moron." the pink-haired kunoichi replied. Naruto merely scowled and looked away as his girlfriend gave him sympathetic glances.

"So, Hinata-chan, what happened this morning?" Ino questioned as the guard left the room and shut the door behind him. "Are you hurt?"

"Not really…" Hinata replied, moving her shoulder so they could see the well-bandaged wound. "Just this and a few bruises, but other than that I'm fine. Just stings a little."

Sakura couldn't help but smirk as Naruto clenched Hinata's hand protectively when he saw the wound. Stepping forward, she removed the bandages to get a closer look. What she saw was a nasty wound that was most likely caused by a kunai knife.

"May I?" Sakura asked.

"Um… I don't want to be a burden…"

"You're not a burden to me, Hinata-chan, and you never will be." the young medic replied, rolling her eyes. Placing a hand over the wound, she began to channel chakra into it as the others bombarded Hinata with questions.

"So what happened?"

"Did you take them down?"

"Where did they attack you?"

"Were they trying to kidnap or kill you?"

Hinata was a bit taken aback by the sudden outburst of noise but answered their questions anyway. They listened intently as she recalled the mornings events. By the time she had finished, several of them were gaping with their mouths ajar.

"You said NEJI saved you?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Y-Yes…" Hinata replied awkwardly.

"B-But… No offense, Hinata, but he never really seemed to care for you much." Ino said. "I mean, didn't he almost kill you during the chuunin exams?"

"It's his duty, as a branch member, to protect the Hyuuga heir with his life, remember?" said Sakura, pulling her hand away from Hinata's now completely healed shoulder. "All done. There won't even be a scar."

"Thanks, Sakura-chan." Hinata smiled slightly and recovered her shoulder with her shirt.

"No problem." Sakura grinned back before continuing. "Anyways, if Neji had just sat there without lifting a finger to help her, the head of the Hyuuga family would have killed him without hesitation."

"Brainiac…" Naruto mumbled, only to get another large blow dealt to his head. "Ow! Geez, Sakura! Why do you have to be so violent? Why can't you be more like Hinata?" said lavender haired girl flushed at that comment.

"Dumbass…" Sakura muttered angrily. "Hey, speaking of Neji, where did Mr. Ice run off to? Didn't you say that he was injured?"

"Yes." Hinata said in reply. "Even before the fight, he looked as if her were bleeding. I think he had just gotten back from a mission."

"So where is he?" Naruto asked curiously. In reply, Hinata shrugged and shook her head.

"I'm not sure." she said. "Neji-niisan tends to do that when he's hurt. He just disappears. He refuses to let a medic touch him."

"Shit…" Kiba muttered, trying to revive an unconscious Shikamaru. "Damn, Naruto. You didn't have to get so excited. If he's not awake by the time we leave, you're carrying him."

"Aw, man…" Naruto whined while Hinata giggled.

"Hey, be glad it's not Choji."

"Are you calling me fat?"

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Author's note: Yay! Chapter two is done! Now for my happy dance: (" ) ( ") ('') (" ) (v"v) ( ") (" )…etc.

See that button?

The one that says 'submit review'?

Click it and all of your

Dreams will come true!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to some dude in Japan…. Yeah.

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**Chapter 3**

"Where could that bastard BE!" Sakura exploded, causing a few remaining birds to scatter and fly away. Ever since they had left Hinata's house a few hours before, Sakura had been searching far and wide for Hyuuga Neji. It was evening now, and she still had no luck. Due to the fact that he was injured, Sakura was rather concerned for his welfare. In fact, she would even dare to call him a friend, and knowing him, he would probably bleed to death before seeking medical help. Damn his pride.

Just as she was about to say 'Fuck it. Let the bastard die', she spotted him leaning against a tree by the river with his head lolled to one side, seemingly sleeping. His eyes were closed, anyway, and his breathing even. That meant he was sleeping, right? Right. Ahem.

Kneeling next to him, she took in the injuries she could see. It really wasn't as bad as she expected. He had many lacerations, but they had already stopped bleeding. His clothes and arm and leg wrappings were ripped and bloodstained. All minor, non-life threatening injuries. In fact, pretty much the only thing that worried her was the fact that a small amount of blood had dribbled from his temple, indicating that he could have suffered from a head injury. She suddenly blinked in surprise.

Something was wrong.

He looked to be covered in a cold sweat and, if it were possible for the already fair-skinned Hyuuga to be any paler, he was. He also seemed to have a fever. All of this could be signs of one thing… poison.

She reached out to touch the side of his face so that she could check his temperature, but gasped as a hand shot out and gripped her wrist. Her eyes met with a pair of white ones.

"Don't touch me." Neji said icily. He shoved her hand away and scowled at her.

"Neji-san." Sakura said, seeming unfazed by his rough gesture. "I think you may have been poisoned."

"Well, that's perceptive of you." he meant for it to sound sarcastic, but it came out more weary than anything.

"You idiot, you need a hospital or you could die!" she tried to sound angry but her voice betrayed some of the desperation she felt.

"It's only a minor poison with a small trace of paralysis powder in it." Neji replied irritably. He held up his left arm, which had a long gash just beneath the bicep, indicating that he had drained the poison from his system. "All that's left to do is wait for the effects to subside."

Sakura blinked in surprise and upon seeing his arm. Still, she wasn't about to lose in a battle of words. She NEVER lost at this game.

"But how do you know the poison isn't fatal?" she questioned.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"…" Sakura sweat dropped.

_He's got you there…_ Inner Sakura sighed.

"Well, I'm going to heal you." It was more of a statement that a question. "Even if the poison doesn't kill you, one of your wounds could become infected."

"No."

"Alright, that's it! This macho badass act is going to stop right now!" Sakura shouted, taking Neji by surprise. "In the state you are in now, I could easily kick your ass. Unless you want that dealt to your ego, I suggest you let me heal you."

"Just leave." Neji replied, rolling his eyes. To his surprise, a fist came flying at his face and he was barely able to block it.

"You think I was kidding?" the pink haired chuunin said lowly, glaring at him with her blazing green eyes, scowl in place. A breeze came and blew a few strands of pink hair into her face. He literally had to fight the urge to brush the offending strands away as he gazed into her emerald eyes. Her pushy attitude and willpower fascinated him to no end and he found it strangely… enticing.

"Fine." Neji said abruptly as Sakura lowered her fist.

"W-What?" she asked in wonderment.

"I don't like repeating myself, Haruno. I said I'd let you heal me now get it over with."

"You mean it?"

"Hn."

She couldn't believe it! Hyuuga Neji, THE Hyuuga Neji, the one who would sooner glare a hole into a medic before letting them touch him, was allowing her to heal him. It gave her a sense of pride. Could he finally be starting to trust her?

"Take off your shirt." She said, turning slightly pink. "Your forehead protector too, so that I can get to your head injury easily."

Pulling his shirt over his head and discarding it on the ground beside him, he hesitated before removing his forehead protector. He didn't like having his curse seal out in the open, but she already knew about it, so it didn't matter. He then resumed to removing the wrappings from his arm and chest, a tedious feat which took a good five minutes.

Sakura visibly flushed upon seeing Neji's bare chest and stomach, but forced herself to focus on the matter at hand.

Gathering Chakra into her fingers, she placed her hand so that it was hovering over on of the many cuts on his arms and began the long healing process. As she worked, she could feel his eyes bore into hers and it made her feel uneasy.

"I really wish you wouldn't stare at me, Neji-san." she finally said, not looking up from her task. "If not, then say something, already!"

"Why?" he asked, slight amusement in his voice.

"It makes me nervous."

"In other words, _I_ make you nervous."

"N-No!" she flushed at his comment. "That's not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?" For some odd reason, he found it amusing to make her angry and flustered.

"I meant-- ARG! Just shut up!" she fumed.

"I though you wanted me to speak." He replied, only frustrating her more.

"I'm not talking to you anymore." It was a childish thing to say, but Sakura could think of nothing else. Just talking to the Hyuuga left her mind drained.

"Good."

"…"

"…"

"…You're a bastard."

"I thought you weren't talking to me anymore."

She lost. There was no denying it. It left her feeling bitter because she had never lost in a war of words before. What was even stranger was the fact that she had lost to Hyuuga Neji, who rarely spoke in the first place.

_Damn him!_ she thought angrily.

_CHA!_ added inner Sakura.

As Sakura reached up to heal his head injury, she gazed curiously at the 'bird in a cage' seal engraved on his forehead. It was such an interesting design, and it looked innocent enough, but the pink-haired kunoichi knew what it was capable of doing.

Neji, meanwhile, was completely off guard. Well… as far as a Hyuuga like him is capable of being… Let's just say he was unusually relaxed, for lack of a better word. Her soothing chakra felt like warm water flowing underneath his skin, and it wiped any pain he felt from his wounds away, leaving him in a state of repose. His eyes drooped closed and he lost himself in the feeling.

He wasn't entirely sure why he had let Sakura heal him. He would never admit it, but he trusted her, even if it was just a little bit. It was rather strange due to the fact that they hadn't had very much contact in the past. As for the whole 'not letting a medic heal him' thing, it wasn't that he didn't want to be healed. He just wasn't too fond of the idea of people seeing him in a vulnerable state. He would often just heal himself to the best of his abilities using ointment and bandages.

"Did it hurt?"

Neji blinked upon hearing her question and looked at her as if she were insane.

_What the hell is she rambling about? _he thought. _She can't be referring to the healing, can she?_

"Don't look at me like that! It's just a question!" said Sakura.

"What were you referring to then?" Neji asked, frown in place. He recoiled abruptly and scowled when he felt her cool fingers touch the seal on his forehead. What the hell did she think she was doing?

"This." she replied softly. "Did it hurt when you first got it?"

"…no." he averted his gaze and instead looked at the river. Well, in the general direction of the river, at least.

"Are you lying?" She asked with a small smile. "I've read otherwise."

"And where is this information contained?" asked the pearl-eyed jounin. "The curse seal is supposed to be a Hyuuga family secret." Sakura's reply was to smile mischievously.

"Let's just say that if you are willing to look long and hard enough, you can uncover any mystery."

"And that brings me to my next question." said Neji. "Why go through all that trouble to find out about my clan?"

"Uh… um… you see, I…" she sputtered. "I was just curious is all, and… you seem to be a very interesting person. I sort of hoped that we could be… friends." There. She'd said it.

"Hn." Neji replaced his forehead protector over the seal. Friends? Someone actually wanted friendship with him? It was ludicrous.

Once Sakura had finished with his wounds, she was almost completely drained of chakra. In fact, she was hovering between consciousness and oblivion. A few bruises and cuts were left, but she didn't think she could spend any more of her energy. Losing balance, she ended up leaning her head on his shoulder. She felt him tense, but he made no move of objecting. Unable to move anymore, she merely stayed in that strangely comfortable position and closed her eyes in exhaustion.

_He smells… good…_she thought in half wonderment. He didn't seem the type who would bother using manly fragrances, so the smell was all him. It was quite relaxing.

They sat in silence for a long while, neither making a move to leave or speak. Neji had a feeling that it was approximately midnight, but was tired himself and didn't want to stand just yet. The paralysis powder was almost worn off, but he still felt the heaviness of it. Closing his eyes, his drowned himself in his thoughts.

----------

"Um… I don't think we should be here…" Shikamaru said, crouching next to Ino from their hidden position in the bushes. "Haven't you ever heard of personal space? We are completely evading their privacy. It's getting late and I'm tired."

"Shut up, Shikamaru! They'll hear us!" Ino exclaimed, looking through the binoculars at her current couple of interest.

When it came to Ino, meddling in people's love lives, whether the relationships are existent or not, was her hobby. She had an obsession with matchmaking and Shikamaru knew that it would probably be her downfall one day… especially if she tries to hook people like Haruno and Hyuuga up. Aside from being some of the most loveless people in Konoha, they didn't have much in common. Sakura was still hung up on Sasuke and Neji was just… well… Neji.

"Aww… Look Shikamaru! They are so cute together!" she squealed, shoving the binoculars in Shikamaru's face.

Trying to ignore the fact that her squeal had put him in a state of being half deaf, he took the object from the over excited blonde and looked at the two she was indicating. His jaw dropped. _No… way…_he thought. _This is too troublesome…_

Wonders never cease. Upon looking through the binoculars, he was faced with a most peculiar sight. Haruno was leaning against the Hyuuga with her head resting on his shoulder and he wasn't objecting. In fact, they both seemed to be sleeping.

"Who would have thought!" Ino continued, whipping out a camera. "I am so getting on her case tomorrow! Why didn't she tell me that she and Hyuuga were dating?"

"Ino, you shouldn't jump to conclusions." Shikamaru warned. "Maybe they both fell asleep and accidentally ended up in that position…"

But Ino, who was currently taking pictures of the oblivious pair, was hearing none of it.

----------

Finally, after a long while of silence, Neji spoke.

"It did hurt." he said quietly. Sakura opened her eyes in shock.

"What?" she asked, surprised that he was the first to speak. Usually, she was the one who would have to force a conversation out of him. This was quite a turn of events.

"You heard me, Haruno." He stayed in silence for a good few minutes before continuing. "I was four when they carved it into my head. I didn't understand what they were doing at the time. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life, but all I remember was my father being so angry and helpless, screaming obscenities at Hiashi about how foolish he was to think that Hinata could ever make a better clan leader than I."

Sakura watched in amazement as the Hyuuga spoke. She had never seen him talk so much, about something so personal, no less.

"The next day, I watched them carry my father's corpse from the house. I was so angry. I charged at Hiashi with a Kunai but was stopped by one of his guards and hit across the face. If not for my age, I would have been killed for daring to land a finger on him."

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two. Most of the tenseness came from Neji, for he was not used to speaking of things like this. It made him feel uneasy, and a little irritated with himself for letting his guard down so easily. He had never had an urge to feely speak before now. In fact, unless it was necessary, he preferred to have no human contact at all. What was it about her that made him want to open up?

"I'm sorry." Sakura finally said.

She blinked as Neji abruptly stood up and turned to leave. _Feeling better already?_

"Neji…?" she questioned. He stopped walking but didn't turn to face her.

"Just shut up." he said, voice not betraying any emotion, aside from slight anger. "I don't need your pity. So just keep this 'friendship' to yourself and leave me alone. I don't want it, nor do I need it. I need no one."

"Everyone needs someone. It's what makes us human."

"..." He began to walk away again as Sakura wearily stood up.

"Neji!" she said loudly. "Where are you going?"

Neji ignored her, which only pissed her off. Who the hell does he think he is? Before he could get any further, a very peeved girl with shoulder length pink hair appeared in front of him, scowl in place on her pretty features.

"What the hell is your problem, you fuck face!" she screamed, causing the Hyuuga to raised one of his perfect eyebrows in shock at her vulgar use of words. "Did something crawl up you ass and die? All I've done is try to be your friend and possibly pull you out of this God-damned permanent state of _fucking_ depression and moodiness and all you do is blow me off or ignore me! Dammit, I'm not about to take this! AND WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUCKING FUNNY, YOU PRICK?"

Neji had at one point started smirking at the Kunoichi before him in amusement. He had never known a woman with such a foul mouth as her and to use so many curse words all at once. It rather amused him.

"You know what? Screw you. You're hopeless." she turned and began to walk away with the full intention of getting home to the comfort of her bed. It was, after all, quite late.

Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine and she leapt to the side, barely dodging a thrown kunai. Shocked, frightened, and angry, she whipped around to face Neji, who stood there as if nothing had happened. ((author's note: I was so going to end this chapter right here!))

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" she shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Are you trying to kill me!"

"Fight me." he simply said.

"Wha--- But--" she stammered. "Fine!" she finished angrily, pulling a kunai from the hoister at her side.

"Good."

"Wait a minute, what if I hadn't dodged?" Sakura asked with a frown.

"Simple. You would be dead."

She face-faulted. _Is he serious?_ she thought.

As they both got into battle stances, Sakura finally realized how tired she really was. _ Damn, I'm screwed. _she thought. _He's crazy to want to spar at a time like this. _As luck would have it, Neji noticed also.

"You're not at your best." he said.

"Neither are you." Sakura replied, gazing at his also exhausted state.

Sighing, Neji relaxed his posture and stood up strait, causing Sakura to raise an eyebrow at him in question.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Your chakra, as well as mine, are far too low. Meet me back here tomorrow evening around eight." with that said, he walked back towards the village, leaving a dumbfounded kunoichi behind. She blinked in mild surprise.

_What a prick. _she thought with a smile.

----------

Sasuke sat in the dark, candle lit room while looking out the window. It was raining at the moment. He'd always liked rain, because it was relaxing to him. When he was a child, his parents never allowed him to play in the rain, for fear of him getting sick. He used to sneak out in the middle of the night and just stand there as the uncountable drops soaked into his clothing and matted his dark hair against his forehead. He was, of course, always scolded by his mother as she greeted him at the door with a towel, but he'd always thought it was worth it.

Pushing the window open, he stretched his hand out and allowed the chilling drops to hit it and run down over his fingers. He half wanted to go outside just for old times sake, but decided against it.

His thoughts, then, turned to Konoha as her remembered a certain time when Naruto had foolishly gotten himself caught in a trap during one of their training exercises and ended up staying there the whole night in the rain.

_Dobe. _Sasuke thought with a smirk. _I wonder what they're doing at this very moment. Naruto, Kakashi… Sakura…_

Sakura. Ever since he'd left Konoha to join Orochimaru, the last encounter he had with her constantly plagued his mind. He could still see her tearful green eyes as she pleaded, no, _begged_ him to stay.

He wouldn't deny that he missed them… hell, he missed Konoha in general… but he knew he could never return. He had gotten his revenge, but the fact still remained that he betrayed Konoha.

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"Why…?" he questioned.

Sasuke slowly pulled the kunai from the chest of his brother, the one he was always so desperate to kill, and stared in disbelief at the crimson liquid on his hands as it flowed in torrents from Uchiha Itachi's chest. Ten years. Ten long years as an avenger in which he had abandoned his home and betrayed his friends for the power to defeat the man before him and, just like that, it's over.

"Why…?" Sasuke asked again as Itachi slumped to the ground. "Why did you let me kill you? You could have dodged!"

Itachi merely smiled as a trail of blood flowed from his lips and down his chin. His blood red Sharingan eyes faded back to their natural onyx. The eyes he was born with. He was obviously dying.

"Dammit, answer me, you bastard!" Sasuke exclaimed in anger, grabbing Itachi by the front of his shirt and shaking him vigorously. "Why did you just stand there and let me kill you? This wasn't how it was supposed to go!"

"You were everything to me…" he continued when the older Uchiha didn't reply.

"You were my idol. I wanted to be just like you…" he paused before continuing. "Why did you do it? Why did you kill them? WHY DID YOU KEEP ME ALIVE!"

Itachi's reply was the furthest from what he was expecting.

A low rumble, beginning low in his chest quickly became a chuckle and rose in volume until it was all out mirth. Sasuke stared in shock at his laughing brother, wondering if the Uchiha really had lost his mind.

"Foolish brother." Itachi said once the laughter had died down, coughing up more blood as he spoke. "It's been ten… ten years and you still… don't get it. You disappoint me."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked numbly.

"I… loved my… little brother…" Itachi's voice was starting to get raspy as he found that the pain was making it difficult to breathe. He gave a sneering smile upon seeing the look of genuine surprise on the younger Uchiha's face. "Did you… never notice? I had always… always hoped… to die one day… by your hand. I got my wish…"

_I just wanted to be free…_

"Aniki…" Sasuke mumbled before he could stop himself. This wasn't how he envisioned that he would get his revenge. He'd always thought that he would be filled with triumph and relief… not sadness and regret. His anger rose to its peak as he realized that, deep inside, he had never actually wanted his brother dead.

"Well…" Itachi said with a smirk. "I haven't been called… that in years."

Growling in fury, he clenched a kunai in his hand and charged at Itachi with the full intent of finally silencing him, but froze upon seeing the look on his brother's face.

It was a smile.

Not a smirk, a sneer, or even a grin.

It was the first genuine smile he had ever seen on the face of Uchiha Itachi.

"I'm… sorry, Sasuke." he said. "I… never… took you… for shuriken …practice like I… like I promised…"

There was a moment of silence. Then--

"Aniki?' said Sasuke quietly. Itachi didn't reply. He only stared at Sasuke non blinkingly with lifeless eyes.

"ANIKI!" He said more desperately. No reply. Pushing down the feelings of sadness that rose in his chest when he realised that he was the last Uchiha, he approached his brother's dead body and passed his hand over Itachi's eyes, closing them in the process. _Goodbye, you bastard… Aniki…_

It was over.

He had gotten his revenge.

But now what?

Where does he go now?

To Konoha?

The idea was laughable. There was no way that Konoha would accept him after everything he had done. During the time he had been in sound, he had killed quite a few ninja from the village and had been working against it alongside Orochimaru for the past 6 years. Returning to Konoha was out of the question.

But that meant there was only one place to go…

"Hello, Sasuke."

"Orochimaru-sama…" Sasuke mumbled, turning slightly to gaze at the man who had taught him power. The man whom he had betrayed Konoha to join. The man who had given him the strength to finally kill Itachi.

The man he had recently broken free from to do the task he had just completed. Orochimaru was obviously here to retrieve Sasuke.

Realizing that there was really nowhere else he could go, the raven-haired man deactivated his Sharingan and turned to follow the smirking Sannin.

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A sudden, unwanted voice pulled Sasuke from his thoughts.

"What is wrong, Sasuke?" it said.

Blinking in mild shock, he snapped back to reality and realised that he was still in Orochimaru's office and that the voice belonged to none other then the legendary Sannin himself, who sat at his desk. Ever since he had returned to sound after getting his revenge, he had been Orochimaru's top killer.

"Nothing." replied Sasuke in monotone. He clenched his hand over the puddle of water that formed in his hand before bringing his arm back inside and closing the window.

"You can't fool me, Sasuke." the creepy snake dude said, smirk in place. "What were you thinking about?"

"…just a memory." the Uchiha replied in a faraway voice. "Not important anymore."

This seemed to be a good enough answer for Orochimaru, for he didn't press the matter any further. Instead, he handed Sasuke a scroll.

"This is your new assignment." said Orochimaru. Sasuke took the scroll without a word and unraveled it. His eyes widened in shock. "I thought you'd be surprised. You have three weeks to get prepared."

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Author's note: Okay, to clear things up, that wasn't a weird brotherly incest part. I didn't think it sounded like one, but you never know. Sorry for the cliffy! I just couldn't help it. It's in my nature to cause pain. I feel so depressed, though! I don't wanna kill off Itachi! He's my favorite character! I intended this to be another humorous fic, but it's turning out not to be a funny as I originally thought... Ah, well. Anyways, don't forget to leave a review. It motivates me to write.

Aniki- Big brother


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Arutonay siay otnay inemay….

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**Chapter 4- **

Sakura awoke the next day to her blaring alarm clock. Groaning, the Kunoichi retreated further into her sheets and tried to block out the noise. Why was that damned alarm clock on anyway? She didn't have to work at the hospital.

With an angry cry, Sakura seized the alarm clock, ripped it from the wall, and chucked it with all her might, effectively putting a dent in her closet door. _Shit. _she thought as she laid face down on her bed. Now she needed to buy another clock. A sound suddenly filled the room that was just as loud and annoying as the alarm clock: Ino's squeal.

"SAKURA! GET OUT OF BED, FOREHEAD GIRL! WE HAVE TO GO SHOPPING!" the blonde cried excitedly, leaping onto the bed and shaking the pink-haired kunoichi by the shoulders.

Sakura groaned. She forgot that she promised to go shopping with Ino today for Hinata's birthday, which was next week. So THAT's why the alarm clock was on. Damn it all.

Her thoughts were cut short when as the sheets and blankets were ripped off her, meaning she was exposed to a wave a cold a brightness.

"Get up, already!" Ino yelled impatiently.

Sighing, Sakura sat up in bed.

"That's more 'like it." Ino said, smiling. Her expression suddenly turned serious. "By the way, why didn't you tell me about you and Neji?" Sakura blinked upon hearing this.

"Me and…?"

"Don't play dumb! I know you two are going out!" the blonde said, pulling out a picture. "I'm you're roommate; you are supposed to tell me about these things!"

Frowning, Sakura reached out and took the picture from Ino, all the while wondering what the hell she was talking about. Her jaw dropped.

In her hand, she was holding a photo of her leaning on Neji's shoulder. It looked to have been taken from a small distance away from a bush.

"T-This isn't what it looks like!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Oh, really?" Ino replied with a smirk, clearly not believing a word she said.

"There's nothing going on between Neji-san and I, Ino! I'm serious!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." the blonde replied, rolling her eyes and getting off the bed. "I don't see what you are so embarrassed about. Neji is one of the hottest guys in the village. Now, get out of bed and get dressed."

"Fine…" Sakura said with a sigh.

----------

Once Sakura had showered and dressed, she and Ino grabbed their jackets from the coat rack by the door. After all, it was just about winter so it was quite chilly. It was also supposed to rain that day, so they got a couple of umbrellas out just to be safe.

Sakura sighed as she followed an overenthusiastic Ino through the stores. She had long since found a nice gift for Hinata, but Ino was quite picky and often took hours. Christmas was usually a nightmare. To be honest, Sakura wasn't the biggest fan of shopping. In fact, ever since Sasuke left the village and broke her heart, she had become something of a workaholic and didn't like doing trivial things like this while she could be at the hospital, working. More often than not, Tsunade had to almost force Sakura to go home and get some sleep.

"Ino, why are you getting someone like Hinata kinky underwear?" Sakura asked as Ino browsed through the lingerie shop.

"Poor, naïve Sakura…" Ino replied with a sigh. "Why do you think?"

"…"

"We need to break her in… for Naruto. At the rate they're going, they will die virgins." As soon as Ino said this, Sakura face-faulted. "And I don't think either of them want that, do you?"

"uh…Maybe…"

"Exactly." said Ino.

"Ino, I don't think you should meddle with their relationship--" Sakura began but was cut off.

"I'm not meddling!" Ino cried defensively. "I'm just giving them a little push in the right direction. Do you think Hinata would look good in blue or pink?"

"Blue…" Sakura sighed in defeat. Ah, well. At least it would be interesting to see how everyone reacts when they see Hinata pull it out of the gift bag.

"Great! Thanks!" The blonde replied with enthusiasm, dashing to corner to purchase her…ahem… item. Sakura inwardly hoped that Hinata wouldn't pass out and die from shock.

As Sakura and Ino walked down the crowded streets in search of someplace to eat (they had finished their shopping), they both recognized a certain couple who were sitting together on a nearby bench. Before Sakura could greet them, however, and she was roughly grabbed by the arm and pulled into the nearest bush.

"Ino, what--"

"Shh!" said Ino. "They'll hear us!"

"..You have a thing for spying on people from bushes don't you?" Sakura asked. Ino ignored her and merely continued to watch Hinata and Naruto from the bush.

"They are so cute!" she squealed.

"Yeah." Sakura admitted, smirking as she saw the couple turn red. Apparently they had just had an awkward moment. "I bet he kisses her."

Ino looked at Sakura as if she were considering something. Suddenly, her face lit up and she smiled evilly.

"You know what?" the blonde said. "I'm taking you up on that bet."

"What! But I wasn't seri--"

"No take backs."

"Ugh. Fine. What are the conditions then?"

"Remember how you told me that you got Hyuuga to blush a couple months ago at the fall festival?"

"…yes…" Sakura didn't like where this was going.

"Well, I want proof." Ino replied. If Naruto doesn't kiss Hinata, you have to seduce Hyuuga and get a picture of him blushing." Sakura winched at this.

"But why Neji?" Sakura questioned, thoroughly confused about Ino's choice for a candidate.

"Fine." she said. "but if he does kiss her, you have to do the same to Shikamaru."

"The lazy ass?" Ino questioned. She shrugged. "Okay."

_I am so going to regret this…_ Sakura thought as she and Ino shook hands to seal the deal.

----------

"So, Hinata-chan…" Naruto began awkwardly, attempting to start a conversation with his too quiet girlfriend. She didn't stutter anymore, but she was still quite shy. "How's it been going with…stuff?"

"Oh! Umm… Everything's fine…" She said, face flushing.

"So… How bout that weather?"

"It looks like its about to rain…" She replied thoughtfully, turning her white-eyed gaze to the sky. The blush didn't leave her face for an instant.

"Great!" Naruto exclaimed, for lack of a better response. When she said nothing else, he sighed. They had been dating for quite a few months now, and they still hadn't kissed yet. Hell, they had barely gotten past the holding hands stage. He was starting to get discouraged. Besides Sakura, Hinata was the only girl he had ever truly liked. A sudden idea struck him.

"Hey, Hinata-chan! It's your birthday next week, right? What would you like?" Hinata's face, if it were possible, turned a brighter shade of red.

"You… You don't have to get me anything, Naruto-kun!"

"Of course I do! You're my girlfriend!" He exclaimed. "Also, Sakura and Ino would beat me to a pulp if I didn't."

"Oh… um…." She started to fidget with her fingers. "Anything will do, I suppose."

"Hey, Hinata-chan?" Naruto began hesitantly.

"Yes?" she replied, a bit confused about why he suddenly sounded so unsure.

"Have you ever… um… well… Have you ever thought about…" He took a deep breath. "…kissing?" Hinata's already red face started to turn purple and it felt as if it were on fire. _Did he just ask that? OMIGOD! HE DID!_ she thought.

Naruto noticed the change of color in her face and he started to mentally beat himself on the head. _OH MY GOD! SHE'S REPULSED! I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT! I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT! I SHOULD JUST GO CRAWL INTO A CORNER AND **DIE!**_

"U-um… well…" she started. "I don't know…"

_IT MEANS SHE HASN'T! OH NOOOO! _

"I'm sorry I brought it up, Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed, taking an attempt at damage control. "It was really rude! Just forget I said it!"

"No, wait! I-it's okay, Naruto-kun. I didn't think it was rude." Hinata replied quickly. "The truth is, I have thought about it a little…" She quickly averted her eyes out of embarrassment. _Hinata, you idiot. _she thought. _Now he probably thinks you're a freak…_She snapped out of her thoughts when felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking at Naruto, she saw that he was leaning in closer. She subconsciously started to do the same. They were quite close now, they're breath was mingling. Their lips were almost touching. Then…

…A bird crashed into the back of Naruto's head.

"AGH!" Naruto exclaimed, having been knocked right of his seat on the bench. He lay on the ground unconscious, the bird landing next to him. It stood up and ruffled the few feathers it had, if you could even call them feathers. The bird was quite thin and ragged and looked to be sickly. It looked to have once been a dove. Ruffling its feathers one last time, it took off into the sky. ((HAHA. If you were wondering where this bird came from, check out my friend Maiyuko-chan's fic named 'Losing Control.'))

"That… was the ugliest bird I have ever seen…" Hinata mumbled to herself in shock.

"Was that a letter in the bird's beak?" Ino asked.

"I… think so…" Sakura replied, staring in shock at an unconscious Naruto. "NOOO! RIGHT WHEN THEY WERE ABOUT TO KISS!"

"Shhh!" Ino exclaimed, covering the screaming girl's mouth, but it was too late.

"Ino-chan? Sakura-chan? What are you two doing in that bush?" Hinata asked, peeking into said bush.

"U-um… We were just… um…" Ino began.

"…Helping Shino look for his bugs! See? Here's a caterpillar!" Sakura exclaimed, holding it up.

"EEK! GET THAT AWAY FROM ME, FOREHEAD GIRL!"

"Ino, you are such a pig! It's just a harmless caterpillar!"

"Um… You guys… Please don't fight." said Hinata.

"Ugh… What happened? Why does my head hurt so bad?" Naruto said from his laying position on the ground.

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Author's note: Ugh. Sorry for the delay. I really don't have much of an excuse, to be honest. It was just pure laziness. But my Computer is about to crash, so I thought I should post this before I lose it. I'll try to post the next Chapter quicker, alright? grovels on knees for forgiveness


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